Zion.T (born Kim Haesol) leads the creative company Standard Friends, which is launching a new sound design label, "MATE".
Standard Friends is a creative company that has showcased talented artists and various collaborative projects, and through MATE it plans to provide artists with more professional and in-depth sound services.
MATE is composed of three engineers: Park Junwoo, Yoon Junhyuk (HRBstage), and Kim Seongyu. They recently handled sound design, directing and mixing for Zion.T's EP [POSER], and drew attention for mixing the entire album for SUMIN & Slom's full-length album [MINISERIES 2], a winner at the 2025 Korean Music Awards. They have also worked on sound for various artists' projects, including TWICE's Chaeyoung's first full-length album [LIL FANTASY vol.1], IU, QWER, BADVILLAIN, Giriboy, and Wonstein, showing that these engineers have consistently been recognized for their expertise in the music industry.
The representative of Zion.T said, "The area that requires the most thought and time in the music creation process is sound design," adding, "Through MATE we want to provide efficient solutions to artists and the industry, and furthermore contribute to the development of Korea's music industry."
He continued, "I think sound designers who combine new technologies with existing know-how thanks to advances in AI will be key talent in the future," and added, "Through Standard Friends and MATE we will nurture such talent and advance the creative environment to the next level."
MATE plans to offer cost-effective package services to both artists and corporations, from vocal tuning and mixing to sound directing for entire works. It also aspires to set a new standard in the field of sound design by developing plugin tools that artists can easily use.
[Photo] Standard Friends
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